USA Today has announced that the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) was selected as one of twenty gardens across the United States in the running for its 10Best Readers’ Choice award in the “Best Botanical Garden” category. Online voting started March 1 and the public is invited to vote for their favorite at http://10best.com through March 28. Individuals can cast one vote per day.

The publication describes the National Tropical Botanical Garden as “Entrusted to protect the world’s tropical plant diversity,” calling particular attention to its two gardens on the south shore of Kaua‘i. NTBG is the only nominee in the state of Hawai‘i. Nominees were chosen by a panel of experts that included a former president of the American Horticultural Society and the U.S. program director for Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognized by USA Today as one of the must-visit gardens in the country,” said Tobias Koehler, NTBG’s new south shore gardens director. “McBryde and Allerton Gardens have so much to offer to our island community and the visiting public.”

National Tropical Botanical Garden (www.ntbg.org) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental institution with nearly 2,000 acres of gardens and preserves in Hawai‘i and Florida. The institution’s mission is to enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions. NTBG is supported primarily through donations and grants.

Provided by USA Today

A relative of plumeria, this native to South Africa and Madagascar grows in the McBryde Garden. USA Today has described NTBG as “being entrusted to protect the world’s tropical plant diversity.”